Amory Holbrook
Encyclopedia
Amory Holbrook was an American
attorney and politician in the Oregon Territory
. He was the first United States Attorney
for the territory and later served as mayor of Oregon City
and in the Oregon Legislative Assembly
.
in Brunswick, Maine
where he graduated in 1841. Following graduation he studied law under Rufus Choate
and began practicing law. He married Mary Hooper, and they would have one son named Millard.
out of territory gained with the settlement of the Oregon Question
in 1846. Holbrook was appointed as the first United States Attorney for the territory by President Zachary Taylor
, and arrived in Oregon
in May 1850 with his family. In June, he served as the prosecution in the trial of the Native Americans charged with carrying out the Whitman Massacre
. The five members of the Cayuse
were convicted and hung in Oregon City
.
Holbrook was elected as mayor of Oregon City in 1856, serving until 1859. Oregon entered the Union in 1859 as the 33rd state. In 1860, he was a candidate for the United States Senate
, but lost that year and a subsequent attempt for the position. That year he also served in the Oregon House of Representatives
. Holbrook represented Clackamas County
as a Republican.
He then started the Know Nothing Party in the state before serving as editor of The Oregonian
from 1862 to 1864. Holbrook retired from politics after serving as editor and entered private legal practice. Amory Holbrook died at the age of 46 on September 26, 1866.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
attorney and politician in the Oregon Territory
Oregon Territory
The Territory of Oregon was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from August 14, 1848, until February 14, 1859, when the southwestern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Oregon. Originally claimed by several countries , the region was...
. He was the first United States Attorney
United States Attorney
United States Attorneys represent the United States federal government in United States district court and United States court of appeals. There are 93 U.S. Attorneys stationed throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands...
for the territory and later served as mayor of Oregon City
Oregon City, Oregon
Oregon City was the first city in the United States west of the Rocky Mountains to be incorporated. It is the county seat of Clackamas County, Oregon...
and in the Oregon Legislative Assembly
Oregon Legislative Assembly
The Oregon Legislative Assembly is the state legislature for the U.S. state of Oregon. The Legislative Assembly is bicameral, consisting of an upper and lower house: the Senate, whose 30 members are elected to serve four-year terms; and the House of Representatives, with 60 members elected to...
.
Early years
Holbrook was born on August 15, 1820, on the United States East Coast. He attended Bowdoin CollegeBowdoin College
Bowdoin College , founded in 1794, is an elite private liberal arts college located in the coastal Maine town of Brunswick, Maine. As of 2011, U.S. News and World Report ranks Bowdoin 6th among liberal arts colleges in the United States. At times, it was ranked as high as 4th in the country. It is...
in Brunswick, Maine
Brunswick, Maine
Brunswick is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. The population was 20,278 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Portland-South Portland-Biddeford metropolitan area. Brunswick is home to Bowdoin College, the Bowdoin College Museum of Art, the Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum, , and the...
where he graduated in 1841. Following graduation he studied law under Rufus Choate
Rufus Choate
Rufus Choate , American lawyer and orator, was born in Ipswich, Massachusetts, a descendant of an English family which settled in Massachusetts in 1643. His first cousin, physician George Choate, was the father of George C. S. Choate and Joseph Hodges Choate...
and began practicing law. He married Mary Hooper, and they would have one son named Millard.
Oregon
In August 1848, the United States created the Oregon TerritoryOregon Territory
The Territory of Oregon was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from August 14, 1848, until February 14, 1859, when the southwestern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Oregon. Originally claimed by several countries , the region was...
out of territory gained with the settlement of the Oregon Question
Oregon boundary dispute
The Oregon boundary dispute, or the Oregon Question, arose as a result of competing British and American claims to the Pacific Northwest of North America in the first half of the 19th century. Both the United Kingdom and the United States had territorial and commercial aspirations in the region...
in 1846. Holbrook was appointed as the first United States Attorney for the territory by President Zachary Taylor
Zachary Taylor
Zachary Taylor was the 12th President of the United States and an American military leader. Initially uninterested in politics, Taylor nonetheless ran as a Whig in the 1848 presidential election, defeating Lewis Cass...
, and arrived in Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
in May 1850 with his family. In June, he served as the prosecution in the trial of the Native Americans charged with carrying out the Whitman Massacre
Whitman massacre
The Whitman massacre was the murder in the Oregon Country on November 29, 1847 of U.S. missionaries Dr. Marcus Whitman and his wife Narcissa Whitman, along with eleven others. They were killed by Cayuse and Umatilla Indians. The incident began the Cayuse War...
. The five members of the Cayuse
Cayuse
The Cayuse are a Native American tribe in the state of Oregon in the United States. The Cayuse tribe shares a reservation in northeastern Oregon with the Umatilla and the Walla Walla tribes as part of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation...
were convicted and hung in Oregon City
Oregon City, Oregon
Oregon City was the first city in the United States west of the Rocky Mountains to be incorporated. It is the county seat of Clackamas County, Oregon...
.
Holbrook was elected as mayor of Oregon City in 1856, serving until 1859. Oregon entered the Union in 1859 as the 33rd state. In 1860, he was a candidate for the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
, but lost that year and a subsequent attempt for the position. That year he also served in the Oregon House of Representatives
Oregon House of Representatives
The Oregon House of Representatives is the lower house of the Oregon Legislative Assembly. There are 60 members of the House, representing 60 districts across the state, each with a population of 57,000. The House meets at the Oregon State Capitol in Salem....
. Holbrook represented Clackamas County
Clackamas County, Oregon
Clackamas County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oregon. The county was named after the Native Americans living in the area, the Clackamas Indians, who were part of the Chinookan people. As of 2010, the population was 375,992...
as a Republican.
He then started the Know Nothing Party in the state before serving as editor of The Oregonian
The Oregonian
The Oregonian is the major daily newspaper in Portland, Oregon, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the U.S. west coast, founded as a weekly by Thomas J. Dryer on December 4, 1850...
from 1862 to 1864. Holbrook retired from politics after serving as editor and entered private legal practice. Amory Holbrook died at the age of 46 on September 26, 1866.